Whipped feta dip with sweet bacon and onion jam uses a block of feta and cream cheese blended in a food processor with a garlic clove and some simple spices. The sweet and salty bacon onion jam is cooked in a skillet and served warm over the cold dip. Enjoy it with kettle chips for a Southern appetizer perfect for any occasion!
Heather's Thoughts...
OK, here is the deal. Do I have like a lot of cheesy dips and spreads here at Fueling a Southern Soul? Yes.
Do we need another one on the site? Also yes.
Both are true and I am not sorry. I am a Southern cook after all, and a good cheesy app is ALWAYS in my repertoire. You're welcome. 😉
This other recipe on the site, whipped feta dip with honey and pistachios, is a HUGE FSS fan favorite. And for very good reason. So when I tested that same base recipe out but subbed in a "salty sweet sticky oh my gosh you have to have this in your life bacon jam" on top. It was all over. Done. Dead. You are going to love this!
We are just whipping together a block of feta cheese, cream cheese, garlic, and a couple of spices in a food processor for 60 seconds until smooth and creamy. Spread that in a shallow bowl and pop in the fridge until the bacon jam is finished.
The sweet bacon jam consists of sugary caramelized onions, crispy bacon, brown sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Spoon that warm jam overtop of that cold creamy dip and MY GOSH! You have been warned - there won't be any leftovers left.
Similar to creamy caramelized onion and bacon dip and tomato & bacon cream cheese dip, enjoy this for any occasion with salty kettle chips!
Welcome to my kitchen, let's cook together!
PRO TIP - I prefer using a block of feta cheese for this instead of feta crumbles. The block doesn't have any extra powder and anti-caking agents on it, resulting in a smoother and creamier dip. You can find a block of feta right next to feta crumbles in the grocery store.
Unfortunately whipped feta with cream cheese is best eaten day off right after you make it when the jam is warm and the dip is cold. When I was recipe testing, I tested keeping the leftovers, but since there is bacon grease in the jam when it is stored in the fridge and cold, it solidifies. It wasn't appetizing looking the next day. I popped the whole bowl into the microwave to warm just to see what it would do, and it was good. The feta was warm and melty and the jam came back together -0 so that is an option. But I would say that is for you only to enjoy leftovers and not to serve guests kinda situation. If you know what I mean .... 😉 The good news is you probably won't have any leftovers left anyway so don't even worry about it!
Recipe
Dreamy Whipped Feta with Sweet Bacon Jam
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-8
Description
Whipped feta dip with sweet bacon jam uses a block of feta and cream cheese blended in a food processor with a garlic clove and some simple spices. The sweet and salty bacon onion jam is cooked in a skillet and served warm over the cold dip. Enjoy it with kettle chips for a Southern appetizer perfect for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 7 Ounce Block of Feta Cheese*
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Teaspoon Fresh Thyme
- Pinch of Salt & Pepper
- 8 Pieces Bacon
- 3-4 Tablespoons of Reserved Bacon Fat
- 1 Small Onion - diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese and feta cheese (broken into smaller chunks), olive oil, garlic, thyme, and salt to a food processor. Blend for 60 seconds or until smooth and creamy.
- Place the whipped feta into a shallow bowl and place in the fridge until the bacon is finished.
- To a large skillet, add bacon that you have cut up with kitchen sheers into smaller bits over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Leave the grease in the pan.
- To the same skillet, add the diced onion to the reserved bacon jam. Turn the heat to medium-low and look for around 20 minutes to caramelize. The onions will become soft and translucent in color and smell fragrant.
- Once the onions are caramelized, add in the bacon bits, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and thickened into a sticky sweet jam.
- Remove from the heat and spoon over the cold feta. Serve immediately with kettle chips.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dips and Spreads
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 389
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 945.2 mg
- Fat: 35.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.4 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 9.6 g
- Cholesterol: 72.1 mg
